Compensation for Work-Related Dermatitis or Skin Problems

Regulations exist to protect employees from exposure to materials that cause skin diseases.

Every employer should ensure that the exposure of his employees to substances hazardous to health is either prevented or, where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled.

Skin conditions can come in many forms and include conditions such as:

dermatitis
eczema
ringworm
psoriasis.

Injury to your skin can be caused by a one off exposure to a strong chemical or also as a result of prolonged exposure to a product. There may be a number of causes, such as:

exposure to irritant products during the course of employment e.g. lubricants, oils, detergents and bleach
frequent ‘wet working’ and/or the use of milder chemicals such as shampoo
aggravation of Psoriasis can be caused by trauma, such as a road traffic accident
excessive and improperly applied perming solution.

Time limit

A court claim must be commenced no later than three years after you become aware of:

the symptoms
the symptoms are significant
the cause of the symptoms
the identity of the employer (or their current identity).

A claim for compensation regarding this type of claim must be commenced no later than 3 years from your date of knowledge of the injury including symptoms – NOT from the original exposure which may have caused the injury. The courts do have power in some cases to extend the time limit but this power cannot and must not be relied on.

A member of our team will be happy to discuss the above with you and how this will impact on your claim.

Funding your claim

If your claim has reasonable prospects of success then we will be happy to act for you on a ‘No Win, No Fee’ basis. We will make enquiries to ensure ‘No Win, No Fee’ is appropriate to you. We will be happy to discuss other funding options with you.

Free consultation

If you have sustained a skin condition, caused by a third party, which you feel could have been prevented, please do not hesitate to contact our team to discuss your potential claim. We will be happy to help and provide free initial advice.

There is no obligation to make a claim – you decide whether or not you wish to go ahead.

Poole Alcock’s personal injury department in Cheshire is accredited by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and our expert solicitors include members of the Law Society Personal Injury Accreditation Scheme and APIL Senior Litigators.